Harris turns 60th in US election dominated by age

Kamala Harris celebrates her 60th birthday on Sunday, but it is her US election rival, Donald Trump, whose age is under scrutiny following a series of rambling speeches and a bizarre dance party.

Seeking to shift the polls in an increasingly tight White House race, Harris has intensified her attacks on the mental fitness of the 78-year-old, who is the oldest presidential candidate in US history.

“Donald Trump is becoming increasingly unstable,” Democratic Vice President Harris said on Wednesday after Trump spent nearly 40 minutes on stage swaying to music at a town hall event.

Harris is unlikely to take time off the campaign trail for her birthday, as both she and Republican former president Trump target crucial battleground states that could determine the outcome of the 5 November vote.

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US presidential elections are a major test of stamina for any candidate, but the 2024 race has been unusually focused on age.

Harris’s remarkable rise to the top of the Democratic ticket came after 81-year-old President Joe Biden was forced to bow out following a disastrous debate performance against Trump.

Biden’s replacement as the nominee by a vice president two decades his junior revitalised the party’s election hopes, as Harris began to close the gap with Trump in the polls.

Trump commented on this shortly after Biden withdrew.
“She is younger,” Trump told Fox News at the time. “I mean, she’s 60 years old… I didn’t realise she was 60. I thought she was a little younger. But she is 60.”

However, with the polls stagnant for weeks, Harris has increasingly played the age card.

The Democrat released her own medical report on 12 October, describing her as being in “excellent health” and fit for the presidency, with the only minor health issue being seasonal allergies and hives.

She has since repeatedly pressed Trump over his refusal to do the same.

‘Sexism Against Older Women’

Instead, the billionaire has referred to a note issued by his former White House doctor last year, while his campaign insists on his stamina.

Harris’s campaign has increasingly implied that Trump is not fit for a second term, pointing to his withholding of his medical history, as well as a series of cancelled television interviews and political events.

“What is Donald Trump trying to hide?” Harris asked on X.

Her campaign has also drawn attention to Trump’s increasingly dark and erratic stump speeches and interviews, including a recent statement in which he raised the possibility of using the US military against the “enemy from within.”

Polls suggest it is a strong issue for Harris.

Pew Research Center polling showed the percentage of people who describe Trump as “mentally sharp” dropped from 58 percent in July to 52 percent in September.

While 49 percent of voters said Trump’s age would hinder his candidacy, 46 percent said Harris’s age would benefit hers.

Yet it is a difficult balance in an election where the age of voters is also a key issue.

Harris enjoys solid support among younger voters, but older voters, who may view her attacks on Trump’s age negatively, lean towards him. In a recent CBS poll, voters aged 45–64 favoured Trump over Harris, 53 percent to 46, while among voters aged 65 and over, the gap grew to 57 percent to 42 percent.

Nonetheless, Harris too faces underlying prejudices about age, according to Nancy Hirschmann, a professor of American Social Thought at the University of Pennsylvania.

“Her age does matter in one sense, as the sexism in America certainly affects older women,” Hirschmann told AFP.

Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, found himself under scrutiny for comments made a few years ago, in which he called top Democrats “childless cat ladies” and appeared to agree with dismissive remarks about post-menopausal women.

Harris has two stepchildren from her marriage to “Second Gentleman” Doug Emhoff.

“There’s an added layer of sexism against older women over 50,” Hirschmann added.